The artist Lee Krasner was born in Brooklyn in 1908 and studied at the Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design, and the Hans Hofmann School in New York. During the height of her creative output in the mid-twentieth century, Krasner was almost entirely overlooked by the art community due in part to her marriage to Abstract Expressionist superstar Jackson Pollock but also to the male-dominated art culture during this time. Thanks to the work of feminist art historians in the 1970s, Krasner was “rediscovered” and acknowledged for her major contributions to the American Abstract Expressionist movement. Today Krasner is finally being recognized as a formative member of the movement, and her work stands up confidently to the macho giants of her time.
One particularly early example of a solo Krasner show was Lee Krasner: Works on Paper on display at the Brooklyn Museum from December 20, 1984-February 25, 1985. In the Brooklyn Museum archival records for this exhibition, I found an exhibition announcement, a checklist with some interesting curatorial doodles, and an informative background text on the artist. I learned that this exhibition was on display simultaneously with a retrospective of Krasner’s work at the Museum of Modern Art. Knowing that MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum consciously created these similar exhibition schedules to give Krasner the credit she deserves, provides great context for the resurgence of her art during this time period.
Posted by Giana Ricci Photo by Brooke Baldeschwiler
